READS

Even though it feels about as mythical as a goddamn unicorn, it's a thing.

I know most of us would feel more comfortable using a keyboard full of hypodermic needles than, you know, actually relaxing, but in my experience over the last decade running my own business, there are few things I find more essential.

You are not a machine. You are not a slave. And you certainly didn't start a business so you could sit inside a dimly lit room for 80 hours a week grunting in front of your laptop, microwaving Hot Pockets, and feeling guilty for doing anything else besides BEING PRODUCTIVE, PRODUCTIVE, PRODUCTIVE! Goodness, I hate that word.

Being too busy for yourself is a fool's errand, and let me tell you what—you don't ever “let up.”

You might think you're just going through a busy period, or convince yourself you've just got to make it through to the other side, or that this is what hustle is all about *cue Gary Vaynerchuk video*, but if there was ever a phrase that rings true, it's: We are what we repeatedly do. And you do not want to become a giant walking, talking Pepperoni Hot Pocket.

That said, having the discipline to relax is easier said than done, which is why I work hard to build in safeguards for myself to make sure that I'm not a naughty girl, overextending myself left and right and forward and backward and upside down and probably most definitely in the cowgirl position (which looks awkward when you're riding your computer, you guys).

One of those safeguards includes periods of time when I gently refuse new client work. Push pause on projects. Say no to everything and everyone by default. (By the way, this is hard as hell but so, so, sexy.)

Do you know how liberating it is to wake up and know that the day is entirely yours? That you have every single one of those twenty-four hours to indulge in whatever your brain desires? That the only person's agenda you're on is yours? It's life-changing. When your brain is constantly in go-go-go mode, it stops looking for creative solutions and starts looking for the quickest solution.

But when you give yourself the headspace to wander with your thoughts, you get your humanity back.

READS

READS

Lifting weights in the gym is generally viewed as a positive thing. You do a rep, and then do it again, because you fundamentally understand that the only way to grow a muscle is through creating tension. You don’t get mad at yourself for the fact that you can’t lift 100 pounds weights on your […]

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So I have this theory about creativity. First of all, it drinks bourbon, neat. And second of all, it’s hungry. Hungry like the kind of hungry you get when you only had a dinky little grapefruit for breakfast. (Which doesn’t even count since you need the jaws of life to extract anything out of those […]

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There’s this really scary fear of doing it wrong. Do you not do Instagram because you think you’re going to do it wrong? Do you not do yoga because you think you’re going to do it wrong? Do you not go into the hip cafe because you think you’re going to do it wrong? Do […]

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Nine months! Which, for the record, is the same amount of time it took me to learn how to operate a damn Keurig. (WHY IS IT SO TOUCHY?! THE CUP IS IN! THE CUP IS INNNNN, I TELL YOU!) So nine months to make a single episode of The Simpsons—which is definitely longer than you’d imagine, since it […]

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You know who I personally have it out for? People who tell you to have patience. “Have patience, my dear,” they say—and then they always tack that goddamn “my dear” onto the end, as if they’ve suddenly transformed into a card-carrying ninety-year-old wizard. There’s no faster way to bring my lack of patience from a […]

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I’ve been writing a book for nearly two years now, which sounds absolutely homicidal when I say it out loud. I mean, let’s be honest: most of my romantic relationships haven’t even lasted that long. (OKAY FINE, UNTIL NOW, BECAUSE THE LOS AND I ARE ON, LIKE, YEAR #BAZILLION.) I’ve learned a lot about commitment, […]

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There seems to be this idea that you should be ready for stuff before you do it. You should do your research. Come fully prepared. Think ahead. Not get taken by surprise. While that might be practical advice when you’re presenting an 8th grade science project, or pitching your boss an idea, or trying anal […]

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Do the work the hard way first. Do it the long way, the tedious way, the time-consuming way. Do it until your brain aches and your fingers bleed. Do it until you are sure that you have never done better work before in your life. Now, hand it to the client. The work should never, […]

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If you’re not dangerous, we don’t want to work with you. You might have the qualifications. Hell, you might have gone to Harvard. Maybe you’re perfectly competent. Step it up. Competence doesn’t demand that anyone notice you, wonder about you, or care about you. Nobody ever won an award for hitting a deadline on time. We want […]

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Headspace. Even though it feels about as mythical as a goddamn unicorn, it’s a thing. I know most of us would feel more comfortable using a keyboard full of hypodermic needles than, you know, actually relaxing, but in my experience over the last decade running my own business, there are few things I find more essential. […]

READS

The other day someone took note of my new daily blog post. “You’re launching something big,” they said. “No,” I replied. “I’m just a writer.” We’ve gotten so used to there always being an ulterior motive, that we’re suspicious when there isn’t one. Do the thing you’re called to do, especially when you have no […]

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